OverviewThis lesson covers the contributions of the Lavender Menace, or Lesbian Feminist movement, of the 1970s to the general Second Wave Feminist movement, as well as the limitations and downfalls of Lesbian Feminism.

Time: 50 mins

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

Learn about the Lesbian Feminist movement of the 1970s.

Understand the exclusionary nature of many social movements.

Essential Questions:

What was Lesbian Feminism/the Lavender Menace?

How and what did lesbian feminism contribute or detract from the ongoing women’s rights movement?

Who did feminist movements, including Lesbian Feminism, include and exclude?

Standards:

CA History 11.10.7. Analyze the women’s rights movement from the era of Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the movement launched in the 1960s, including differing perspectives on the roles of women.

History Framework, Chapter 16, 11th Grade, p. 420: On the social and cultural front, feminists tackled day-to-day sexism with the mantra “The personal is political.” Many lesbians active in the feminist movement developed lesbian feminism as a political and cultural reaction to the limits of the gay movement and mainstream feminism to address their concerns. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, feminists promoted women’s health collectives, opened shelters for victims of domestic abuse, fought for greater economic independence, and worked to participate in sports equally with men.

CCSS W.11-12.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

CCSS SL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Vocabulary:

Lesbian Feminism: A cultural movement of the 1970s for the inclusion of queer women and their issues in mainstream feminist organizing

Lavender Menace: Later called the Radicalesbians, a political group that organized for the recognition of lesbian issues within the Women’s Movement of the 1970s

Second Wave Feminism: Also called the Women’s Movement, a political movement in the 1960s-1980s to further women’s legal and economic rights, as well as their social position